Despite the burden of heavy projects and tight schedules, students of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) make an effort to celebrate the month of December with grandeur. Among many of the proceedings that are to be held this month, BUET Film Society and BUET Drama Society have put up shows worth refereeing to.

'La Liberate December', a film festival organised by BUET Film Society this year was dedicated to the concept of 'freedom'. “Freedom, moment to rebirth. Freedom, for invigorating the life of a mother”, the motto says it all. “Our goal was to spread the sense of freedom and love towards our mother and motherland. This year, based on this theme, we tried to choose some rare documentaries and films that convey our message to the people. And we are very delighted by the responses we had,” said Razibul Islam, one of the organisers.

Eight films from home and abroad were shown in “La Liberate December” from December 3 to 5 in BUET auditorium. The so called “film bluffs” of the festival had a lot to offer. Since novice artists are concerned, students of BUET themselves had released some of their recently made short films during the festival. Zimran, Raihan and Toor, who wrote and directed “Obochetona”, said, “This is our first work and it was the concerted effort of the 2008 batch of BUET. 'Let patriotism start from home'- was the message we tried to convey through our work. We seem to blame our country, our education system a lot nowadays. But we believe family is the best institution to start knowing your roots. Parents can play the most important role in acknowledging children about the country. By establishing this practice we can pass on our glorified history to the generations to come.”

Another short film “Flag Holder”, being released, was directed by Nazmul Hoque Nayeem. Their celluloid work may not be critically acclaimed, but the message they wanted to convey was uttered loud and clear.

Followed by the Film Festival, BUET Drama Society organised the Annual Drama Festival on December 6. Imtiaz Hasnine Shaon, General Secretary, BUET Drama Society said, “This year the play 'Sinduk' by Shishirkumar Das was staged by BUET Drama Society. Two other plays 'Paglayon' and 'Shadhulila' were also staged by 'Jalshiri' of Jahangirnagar University.”

For many of the students, it was their first theatrical experience during the Festival. “Even though we have limitations, we put our best effort, and I am happy with the response from the audience. This gives me encouragement for bigger projects in the future.” said Shaon, a performer at the Festival.

Who said that engineers are meant for machines only! With the right spirits and the love being there, engineering students can also participate in art and culture. Clearly, this message was ushered through these festivals.